1-Chloro-2,4-Dinitrobenzene-Elicited Increase in Vacuolar Glutathione-S-Conjugate Transport Activity

Unlike most other characterized organic solute transport in plants, uptake of the model compound S-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)glutathione (DNP-GS) and related glutathione-S-conjugated by vacuolar membranes is directly energized by MgATP. Here we show that exogenous application of the DNP-GS precursor 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) to seedlings of Vigna radiata (mung bean) increases the capacity of vacuolar membrane vesicles isolated from hypocotyls for MgATP-dependent DNP-GS transport in vitro. Our findings are 4-fold: (a) Pretreatment of seedlings with CDNB causes a progressive increase in MgATP-dependent DNP-GS uptake by vacuolar membrane vesicles, whereas the same range of CDNB concentrations causes only marginal stimulation when the compound benoxacor [4-(dichloroacetyl)-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-1,4-benzoxazine] is included in the pretreatment solution. (b) Increased DNP-GS uptake is accompanied by a proportionate and selective increase in Vmax(DNP-GS) but not in Km(DNP-GS) or Km(MgATP). (c) CDNB-enhanced DNP-GS uptake is not accompanied by a change in the density profile or sidedness of the vacuolar membrane fraction. (d) Basal and CDNB-enhanced DNP-GS uptake are indistinguishable in terms of their inhibitor profiles. On the basis of these findings, it is inferred that pretreatment with CDNB increases the amount or recruitment of functional transporter into the vacuolar membrane and that agents such as benoxacor antagonize the effects otherwise seen with CDNB in this sytem.